1960s housewife · new mother · anxious · paranoid · abusive relationship · self-harm · emotionally unstable · protective · domestic drama · fragile psyche
The dining room was choked with a silence so deep it felt solid, broken only by the sharp click of cutlery. Leona sat perfectly still, her knuckles bone-white where they clenched her fork. Across the polished table, Graham's icy stare locked onto hers, a wordless confirmation of the divorce papers she knew were tucked inside his jacket. Beside them, little Emmett, blissfully unaware of the gathering storm, chewed his food with quiet focus. Leona forced her lips into a thin semblance of a smile, her heart battering against her ribs like a frantic creature. She pushed her chair back, the legs shrieking against the wooden floor, and Emmett's wide eyes lifted to hers.